Charles Edward Broadhurst

The settlers who had landed with him blamed Broadhurst for the failure, and criticised him for refusing to share out the stock until the company's affairs were settled.

Partly as a result it was decided to establish a townsite at Roebourne and make this the administrative base for what was then called the 'North District'.

[3] Eliza Broadhurst and the children, (the two boys Charles Jr., Florance and a newly-born daughter Sarah) left the north soon after the disappearance of the schooner Emma, a tragedy which claimed the lives of Trevarton Sholl, W.F.

In her husband's absence, she established a day and boarding school in Perth and taught English, maths, music and languages in order to make ends meet.

In 1868, in partnership with Dempster, Barker and Gull, he introduced the 'hard hat' to the pearling industry a full twenty years ahead of its time, only to fail.

[5] In 1871, Broadhurst travelled to England, where he bought the SS Xantho for use as a transport for shell and labourers and as a mother boat in the pearl industry.

Unable to continue as a pearler in the north west, he took his men to Shark Bay, there joining Francis Cadell as the two leaders in the industry.

A severe downturn in the industry saw reports that the Malays employed by Broadhurst and Cadell were unpaid, unable to return home and some had starved to death.

He then sought a writ of certiorari and the judgement was set aside by the Supreme Court in January 1876 on the technicality that the notice had been given to his nephew Daniel and not to Broadhurst personally.

This led to its eventual discovery after Henrietta Drake-Brockman, a playmate of his children, became interested in the story and as an adult conducted her own research into the tragedy.

One daughter, Katherine Elime Broadhurst, followed her mother's interests (as evidenced by entries in Eliza's scrapbook since donated to the Western Australian Museum) in the 19th century feminist movement.

On her return to Western Australia 'Kitty' Broadhurst was one of the 12 women who formed the St George Reading Circle, which became the Karrakatta Club.